# `goto` statement

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Transfers control unconditionally.

Used when it is otherwise impossible to transfer control to the desired location using other statements.

### Syntax

attr﻿(optional) `goto` label `;` |  |

### Explanation

The goto statement transfers control to the location specified by label. The goto statement must be in the same function as the label it is referring, it may appear before or after the label.

If transfer of control exits the scope of any automatic variables (e.g. by jumping backwards to a point before the declarations of such variables or by jumping forward out of a compound statement where the variables are scoped), the destructors are called for all variables whose scope was exited, in the order opposite to the order of their construction.

The goto statement cannot transfer control into a control-flow-limited statement, but can transfer control out of a control-flow-limited statement (the rules above regarding automatic variables in scope are followed).

If transfer of control enters the scope of any automatic variables (e.g. by jumping forward over a declaration statement), the program is ill-formed (cannot be compiled), unless all variables whose scope is entered have the following types:

- scalar types declared without initializers
- class types with trivial default constructors and trivial destructors declared without initializers
- cv-qualified versions of one of the above
- arrays of one of the above

(Note: the same rules apply to all forms of transfer of control)

### Notes

In the C programming language, the goto statement has fewer restrictions and can enter the scope of any variable other than variable-length array or variably-modified pointer.

### Keywords

`goto`

### Example

Run this code

    #include <iostream>

    struct Object
    {
        // non-trivial destructor
        ~Object() { std::cout << 'd'; }
    };

    struct Trivial
    {
        double d1;
        double d2;
    }; // trivial ctor and dtor

    int main()
    {
        int a = 10;

        // loop using goto
    label:
        Object obj;
        std::cout << a << ' ';
        a -= 2;

        if (a != 0)
            goto label;  // jumps out of scope of obj, calls obj destructor
        std::cout << '\n';

        // goto can be used to efficiently leave a multi-level (nested) loops
        for (int x = 0; x < 3; ++x)
            for (int y = 0; y < 3; ++y)
            {
                std::cout << '(' << x << ',' << y << ") " << '\n';
                if (x + y >= 3)
                    goto endloop;
            }

    endloop:
        std::cout << '\n';

        goto label2; // jumps into the scope of n and t

        [[maybe_unused]] int n; // no initializer

        [[maybe_unused]] Trivial t; // trivial ctor/dtor, no initializer

    //  int x = 1;   // error: has initializer
    //  Object obj2; // error: non-trivial dtor

    label2:
        {
            Object obj3;
            goto label3; // jumps forward, out of scope of obj3
        }

    label3:
        std::cout << '\n';
    }

Output:

    10 d8 d6 d4 d2
    (0,0)
    (0,1)
    (0,2)
    (1,0)
    (1,1)
    (1,2)

    d
    d

### See also

C documentation for goto

### External links

The popular Edsger W. Dijkstra essay, “Goto Considered Harmful” (originally, in "Letter to Communications of the ACM (CACM)", vol. 11 #3, March 1968, pp. 147-148.), presents a survey of the many subtle problems the careless use of this keyword can introduce.

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